


Layover

by Caivu



Category: Batman (Comics), Batwoman (Comic), DCU, DCU (Comics), Detective Comics (Comics), The Question (Comics)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canon Lesbian Relationship, Continuity Nods, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Foreplay, Gap Filler, Implied Sexual Content, Love, Open Relationships, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Some Plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-12
Updated: 2020-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:26:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23099296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caivu/pseuds/Caivu
Summary: Her work in Gotham done and plenty of time to kill before her flight leaves, Renee Montoya decides to see Kate Kane.Takes place after Renee gets the file from Batman inLois Lane#9.
Relationships: Kate Kane & Renee Montoya, Kate Kane/Renee Montoya
Comments: 3
Kudos: 27





	Layover

**Author's Note:**

> C'mon. Do you really think Renee flew all the way to Gotham just to hand Batman a piece of paper and sit in an alley for an hour? No.

"Have fun storming the castle!" Renee called, watching as Batman swooped away from her on a cable, soon vanishing in the gloom. No reply, of course. Whatever. She felt almost giddy, and goading him was amusing in and of itself. Being in Gotham didn't generally create that sort of feeling in people, but she knew the reason... and it had to do with a different Bat.

She stuffed the folder Batman had given her into a large pocket inside her jacket. It was all the available info on the assassin who had recently been after Lois Lane, her current partner on this long and sprawling case: The Kiss of Death. Skull-faced and quippy. Possible occult ties. The file would make for good reading on her flight out.

_Speaking of which..._

From a different interior pocket, she retrieved her phone and checked the time. 12:14 AM. Perfect. Her takeoff wasn't until 2. Subtract half an hour for check-in and security, since she had no luggage. Another twenty to get to the airport. Plenty of time for some fun.

 _Lois was sure right about_ that.

She texted Kate: _< Soooo... I'm in town. Work-related, but I've got some time to kill.>_ She added a winking emoji at the end.

The speed of the response surprised her. _< I know, B told me. I was busy for a while, but I'm free now.>_

 _< You close?>_ Renee typed.

_< Check your nine.>_

Renee did, looking to her left. There, about three blocks away, she could just make out a silhouetted, caped figure against the haze of the city. Even after all her time in Gotham, even though she knew exactly who it was, such an image made her hair stand up.

 _< CREEPY!>_ she replied, with a laughing emoji. _< Please tell me you haven't been there long.>_

Kate sent a zipper-mouthed emoji.

Renee chuckled. _< Fine, BE THAT WAY!>_ she typed, adding a snorting emoji.

 _< But for real,>_ she added, _< we're wasting time. My place is closest.>_

_< Race you.>_

Renee didn't even bother replying. One glance up, and she saw the distant silhouette had vanished. Her skin tingled again, but not from fear.

She bolted, her mind figuring a good route, her body finding an efficient line across the rooftops and hard obstacles of the city, confident in the hours and hours of freerunning Kate had put her through months ago to help sharpen her up. She had a head start. Maybe she could get this one.

Six blocks and four minutes later, she landed on the roof of her building, rolling to cushion the fall. Win or not, she was pleased with that run. Flat-out the whole way, and she was barely breathing hard.

She vaulted over the back ledge of the roof directly over her kitchen window. She still had her keys, but going in the front without her face on... that spelled trouble. Some of her neighbors would probably still be up. Landing on the shallow ledge, she noticed the new window was just a hair ajar.

 _Damn._ It seemed Kate had won another race.

The window hissed on its rubber seal when she pushed it all the way open, even its quietness shattering the silence of her apartment. She crept in onto the sink and then the floor without a sound. It was odd being back here again after weeks away on a job. Everything still looked in place.

She flicked on the overheads.

In the living room, just touched by the kitchen light, Kate lounged on the sofa like she owned the place. She technically _might_ , Renee realized; the Kanes did have a real estate firm. The Batwoman suit was draped over the back of the armchair, and the cowl stared at her from the coffee table.

"Well, congrats," Renee sighed. She began unlacing her boots.

Kate stood and stretched, her lopsided grin tugging up the right corner of her mouth. That grin had helped charm many women into bed over the years, Renee included, and it had yet to lose its effectiveness. Renee wondered if it had seen use while she was away. She certainly hoped so; if they were going to be having an open relationship, it'd be a bit of a shame if at least _one_ of them wasn't getting some of the benefits while they were apart due to work.

"'Bout time you showed up, slowpoke," Kate teased, ambling into the kitchen, hands on her hips. She was down to her activewear: a matching dark gray bra and compression leggings that hugged her dense musculature. Her skin was flushed, and the scars lining her arms and peeking over her black waistband seemed paler than usual. Though she was relaxed, every line of her seemed hard and tense, as if ready to strike at any instant.

"Easy for you to say," Renee said, taking off her jacket and tossing it on the dining table. "You've got a grapnel gun or whatever." 

"I _ran_ here, thank you." Kate stepped in close and wrapped Renee's waist loosely with her long arms. "And _neither_ of us came here to talk, so... put your face back on."

Renee pressed the capsule on her belt. A soft hiss as a cloud of blue gas escaped, smelling faintly of ammonia. It enveloped them. Renee felt the pseudoderm loosen from her skin, and peeled it off. She was fast enough now to get it all in one go without tearing it. Two hard squeezes in her hand compacted it to a rough ball, and then into a belt pouch it went.

Renee tossed her cap onto the table, shaking out her hair, and draped her arms across Kate's shoulders. Locking eyes.

Her voice was low when she spoke. "Better?" she asked.

"Mmm," Kate replied, nuzzling her cheek. " _Much_ better." She looked Renee right in the eyes. "But I can still think of one improvement."

"Having your legs wrapped around it?" Renee asked, biting her lower lip.

Kate grinned. "You're smart."

They kissed. Kate's hands moved to the zipper on Renee's sweatshirt, to her belt, one unfastening and the other tugging, leading them back to the bedroom. Her breath was hot on Renee's throat.

Renee shrugged the sweatshirt off, leaving it in the hall doorway, now down to a black V-neck. She took Kate's face in her hands for another kiss as Kate's back pushed open the door.

"How long you on break?" Renee asked.

"'Til one."

"Perfect."

Pausing for a moment, Renee clicked on the bedside lamp. It was no fireplace, but it would do. She unclipped the binary gas capsule and the pseudoderm pouch from her waist and placed them on the nightstand next to the clock.

Kate tugged at her belt again. Her legs bumped the bed, and Renee put a palm flat on her chest and gave her a moderate shove, forcing her to sit. Kate landed on her elbows, the mattress springs squeaking beneath her. She gave a dry chuckle, biting her lower lip.

Renee could feel the tension between them start to rise, the friendly kind that always welled up when they made love. Exciting, almost competitive. Neither of them wanting to give up the lead, but neither minding if they did.

She straddled Kate's lap. When she undid her belt, Kate's breath hitched, but they didn't have the time right now to do that properly. Not even for handcuffs, even if she'd still owned a pair.

"Next time," Renee promised, letting the belt clatter to the floor. She moved on to her gloves, picking them off finger by finger. Kate continued to gaze silently at her, wearing a hungry expression. She slowly massaged her hands up Renee's thighs, starting at the knees, her fingers working deep into the muscles even through a layer of denim. Renee let out a sharp hiss. Damn, she was good.

She kept her voice steady. "You got one win," she said. In a swift motion, she pulled her shirt off and flung it away. Just a bra now, a plain black everyday thing. She took a hold of Kate's fuzzy head and pulled her closer, sitting her up.

"Think you can get another?" Renee finished.

Kate licked her bottom lip. "It's not a competition," she said, "but let's find out anyway."

In a flash, Kate's arms were around her. Renee let out an excited yelp, and then they were falling.

\----

Later, when they were both spent and sweaty, Kate slid off onto her back, sighing from deep in her chest. They lay there a few moments, the room silent apart from their ragged, synced breathing. The air was cool on her skin, but Renee herself felt warm and relaxed, as if she had melted.

_If I can walk before morning, I'll be shocked._

She shut her eyes and just listened for a while, savoring the taste of Kate still on her lips.

Kate spoke first, her voice husky, and a hint of her Carolina drawl seeping in. "You're real good at this, lady," she said. Renee could hear the smile in her tone. "God _damn_ , I needed that."

"Heh," Renee panted. "Dry spell in Gotham, huh?"

"Sure, rub it in," Kate said, teasing. " _Your_ mission comes with a built-in bedmate."

Renee snorted a laugh. Ever since partnering with Lois for her current investigation, Kate's mock offense at Renee's supposed infidelity with her had been a running joke between them. Such a thing was encouraging; it demonstrated to Renee how comfortable Kate now was with their relationship being physically open, after her initial hesitation to the idea. It spoke volumes about Kate's level of trust in her not to violate their rules: don't get emotionally involved with anyone else, and don't get involved with someone else's partner. The joke had soured a bit once tabloids began running bogus stories of Lois's alleged affair with Superman, but since Lois herself didn't care, Renee figured she didn't need to, either.

"Actually," said Renee, "Chicago's been rather... _lacking_."

"Oh _really?_ " Kate's voice took on an even more playful note. She rolled to her side, propping her head up with one hand and slowly stroking the length of Renee's torso with the knuckles of the other, grinning. "Even she can't manage, eh?"

Renee gave an exaggerated sigh. "It's such a tragedy. You'd think that someone who rides Superman every night would be able to satisfy a mere mortal, but... nope."

Kate tsked. "So sad," she said. "Maybe she can tag along next time. _I_ could teach her some things, I'll bet-"

"Katherine Kane!" Renee laughed, rolling to her right to land a light smack on Kate's arrowhead tattoo. Kate just chuckled.

Now facing each other, eyes locked, Renee felt that friendly tension again. Kate wore a soft, dreamlike smirk and blinked at her slowly, like a cat. The hard lines of her body had softened.

"Told ya we were too old for this open thing," Kate teased. "If neither of _us_ can manage another catch..."

"Give it time," said Renee. "I'll be on this case a while longer. There's hope for us both. In the meantime..." She ran a hand along the gentle swell of Kate's hip. "It was good seeing you."

"It was good seeing _you_." Kate brushed a curl from Renee's forehead. "Guess your trip was worth it, then."

Renee paused for the space of an inhale, then pulled closer, drawing Kate in for a kiss by her waist and the tangled net of scars on her back. Kate returned, cupping her jaw in just the way she liked, running her thumb along her cheekbone. Renee felt their hearts beat back and forth, back and forth, perfectly alternating like the pistons of an engine.

For an instant, she wished they could start a second round, either her mounting Kate or Kate mounting her, not caring which, just wanting to stay here the whole night. A second leading into a third, a third into a fourth, on and on until the sun rose, like they had done years ago.

But they couldn't. There were still trips to make, work to do.

"Yeah," she said at last."Yeah, it sure was."

She checked the time: 12:50. Not bad.

\----

They showered fast, only holding each other as the bathroom steamed up. At three 'til 1, they were just finishing dressing in the living room.

"...and then," Renee was saying, lacing up a boot, "get this: when he started to swing away, I yelled 'Have fun storming the castle!' after him." 

Kate paused, just about to snap her utility belt closed, and gave her an odd look. "Uh... _why?_ " 

Renee shrugged. "Just seemed funny." 

"Well, at least it was a reference I understand. I'm glad you were thinking of me." 

"Heh. It's half the reason I'm here." She tapped her phone, ordering a Lyft. "Couple minutes," she said.

"Right," Kate replied. She zipped up the back of her suit and gathered her cowl from the desk. "Real quick, how's work? For real."

Renee sighed. "Eventful. Bombs and shootings and fights and dirty money. It's been a whole thing. I couldn't even go into all of it right now, and it's not even over."

"Sounds like it." They wandered into the kitchen; Kate would have to leave from the window, for the same reason Renee couldn't have taken the front door in her mask. "You'll have to tell me all about it when we have more time."

"Of course."

Kate sprang up onto the counter to sit on it, moving her cowl to her lap.

"Listen," she said, "I know Lois probably didn't ask for my help, but if there's anything I can do, I'd be happy to pitch in."

Renee was struck by that, but it wasn't surprising. Kate was always willing to help. To _serve_. Quite a flip from Batman, who not even an hour ago had bitched to her about running errands. Small wonder she enjoyed teasing him.

"Dunno," Renee shrugged. "Batman got all the available info she needed. But if you want, she's after anything on an assassin called The Kiss of Death."

Kate's eyebrows raised at the name, as Renee figured they might.

"Yeah, I know," Renee added, "but I don't think she was part of the Many Arms. But maybe you can dig something else up."

"Worth a look, anyway," said Kate, nodding. "You tangle with her?"

"Oh, yeah," said Renee. "We're actually due for a rematch."

Kate chuckled. "So are _we_."

Renee took a stance of mock defiance, crossing her arms. "Okay, you're on. First thing once this case is done."

"Deal."

"Bare-knuckle again or-"

Renee's phone buzzed, interrupting the moment.

"Almost here," she said.

"Right." Kate bent forward, and they kissed again. "Call me when you land," she said.

"As soon as I'm inside."

"Be safe."

" _You_ be safe."

Another quick kiss, and Kate donned her cowl. The rubber window seal hissed again as she went out, pausing on the ledge for a wave. After Renee returned it, Kate scaled the brickwork up. Renee locked the window and watched until Kate's red boots disappeared from view.

On the street, her ride was just pulling up as she met the sidewalk. A quick glance back at the roof. There: Kate crouched on the corner where her unit was. Renee smiled and snapped a quick salute.

Kate returned it, and though she couldn't see her face, Renee knew she was smiling, too.


End file.
